The End of the Story
by kathypg
Summary: An unknown enemy has turned the scoobies world into a nightmare. Dawn and Willow race to change the past with the help of the gang. B/S and very Spike centered after chapter 9
1. Default Chapter

This is a challenge fiction to write the series ending in less than 800 words. I decided to add to the first chapter and make it a full length story. If you are a Xander fan please be patient with the first few chapters everything will make sense in the end. However, be advised this is a B/S shippy story. 

I do not own any of these characters they are the property of Mutant Enemy. I am only writing this story for fun. 

The End of the Story

by

Kathypg

It was a rainy afternoon and a hooded figure was walking in the cemetery with flowers in her hand. The hood shrouded her face as she placed the flowers on a grave. "I've come to say goodbye. It's been a year and there's nothing in this town for me, so I'm heading for Boston. I have a job lined up and it doesn't involve any boogly wooglies." A tear escaped her eye and was lost in the rain as her mind drifted back to the events of a year ago. 

1 year earlier: 

_"Buffy you're hair doesn't look right and maybe you should take off your dress and let me iron it for you" __Willow__ told her friend._

_Buffy glared at her replying "If I didn't know better I would think you were trying to delay me. Okay spill it Will? If something is bothering you just say it?" _

_"Buffy you know I love you, but don't you think you're rushing this? You've only been engaged for two weeks and you're getting married today" __Willow__ said. _

_"Ever since the powers that be decided that there should only be one slayer I've been living the life of the lost. I don't know how to be average girl. My whole life was slaying. I want something that is mine. All my friends are downstairs waiting. __Willow__ please be happy for me" she begged her friend. Willow nodded and followed Buffy down the stairs and out to the back yard for the ceremony._

_The music had just started to play when all hell broke loose. A motorcycle crashed into the table containing the cake. A furious cyclist in black advanced on the groom and punched him in the face knocking him on his ass. "That's for stealing my girl you whelp" an outraged Spike yelled at Xander. _

_"She's not your girl anymore Spike. In about ten minutes she'll be my wife" Xander replied._

_It was about this time that everyone realized that Spike was standing in the sunlight. A shocked Buffy stared at him, but was unable to formulate any words._

_"You never gave her the letter did you?" Spike spouted. _

_Now Buffy was mad, "Yes, he gave me that disgusting excuse for a goodbye letter."_

_Spike said nothing for a moment than understanding hit him. "No he didn't. My letter said that I loved you and asked you to wait for me. I knew I would be gone for months, but I had to go right than. Xander was the only one around, so I gave him the message. It was my chance to be human, so we could be together. I just got back today. I wouldn't have known about the wedding if I hadn't called __Willow__."_

_Everyone was staring at Xander. "What, he's a demon. Are you going to take his word over mine?"_

_"How could you do that to Buffy?" __Willow__ asked her friend. _

_"How can you even ask? It should have been me. Not the freak Angel" he turned to point at Angel standing in the shadows, or this "disgusting waste of space with a bad bleach job. I'm the one that loves her. She just never gave us a chance, because of these two mistakes of nature."_

_Buffy walked up to Xander and slapped him across the face. She walked back to Spike, " Lets go Spike."_

_Before anyone could stop him Xander pulled a gun and aimed it at Spike and pulled the trigger. Buffy jumped in front of him and took a bullet in the stomach. Xander was wrestled to the ground before he could get another shot off. _

_Spike held a dying Buffy in his arms. His eyes met Angel's and Angel shook his head no, but Spike carried Buffy to him anyway. "I'll take care of her. You know me Angelus. I'll find a way" Spike pleaded. _

_Wesley tried to stop Angel, but he turned Buffy anyway. As Spike carried Buffy away Angel told him, "If you need anything you know how to find me." Spike nodded with understanding and was gone. _

Present:

"It's been a year and there's been no word from either Buffy or Spike. I like to think if anyone can make it work its Spike. He's done the impossible before; he fell in love with a slayer than regained his humanity to be with her. I want you to know I forgive you for shooting Buffy and for taking your own life. However, I won't be coming back here. There are too many bad memories, but I want you to know I'll always love you Xander." Willow stood and looked down at the grave of her best friend. She wiped away the tears and walked out of the graveyard to start her new life. 


	2. Chapter 2

I decide to continue this story, because I just don't like sad endings. 

Chapter 2

As Willow exited the cemetery she heard someone calling her name. She turned to see a young woman standing in the rain holding a large black umbrella. "Hello, do I know you?" Willow asked the girl.

The girl walked toward her "It hasn't even been a year and you forgot me already" she told Willow with happiness in her voice. 

"Dawn! Oh my goodness it's you!" she cried moving forward and wrapping her arms around her. Dawn responded by giving her friend a huge hug.

"How did you know where to find me?" the redhead asked the brunette. 

"Mrs. Murray said you were going to say goodbye to a friend before you left. You never let me know you were leaving?" Dawn asked her.

"I was going to call when I got to Boston. There is no reason to stay in Sunnydale; everyone else has already gone. When did you get here Dawn?" Willow asked looking into her young friend's eyes. 

"I left LA a few hours ago. Dad thinks I'm spending the weekend at Jamie's. I don't have to worry about him checking up on me either, because he flew to Chicago on business yesterday" she told Willow as they walked to Dawn's car. 

"It really is nice to see you Dawn. I get to spend my last day in Sunnydale with my favorite ball of energy" she said smiling at the girl.

Dawn abruptly stopped walking and turned to Willow "I'm not just here for a visit. I need your help. You know what tomorrow is? Everything went wrong one year ago. I need your help to change it."

"Dawn I don't have magical powers anymore. They were stripped a long time ago. There is no way I can use magic to change the past. I wish there were. I'm sorry!" she said with regret in her voice.

Dawn clutched Willow's shoulders and exclaimed "I have it all worked out. We can do this and it doesn't require any magic, but it must be done by tomorrow." 

Willow stared at the Dawn and painfully said "What, I mean how?"

"Willow I'm able to open a portal to the past. We can go back and change that day" Dawn said excitement radiating from her. "We can save Buffy and Xander." 

Dawn spent the next hour explaining everything to an astonished Willow. She told her that not long after Buffy's death Dawn found that she could open a small window to the past. It was only about the size of a quarter, but over time she was able to expand it. She practiced everyday until it was large enough to send someone through. She had gone through the portal twice and made it back safely both times.

Willow was furious with Dawn for doing something so dangerous. Hadn't Dawn learned anything from all the mistakes made by the Scoobies? Dawn tried to tell her that it was her gift. However, the gift had limitations. At most she could travel back one year that was why if she was going to save Xander and Buffy she had to do it by tomorrow afternoon. 

TBC

There were two ways to go with this story, the reset or what happens to vamp Buffy and human Spike. For now I decided to do the reset. 


	3. Chapter 3

The End of the Story

Part 3

"Willow there are other considerations. First, we could go and stop Xander than come back to this time and hope that everything works out okay, or one of us could stay to make sure that everything works out okay" Dawn said giving her friend a sad smile. 

"Dawnie I'm not sure I understand" a confused Willow asked.

"Let me explain this part to you first. Say for example, I go to the past and change something. This changes the world, however when I return to the correct time I would still have the memories of the world before the changes. Now this is the tough part, I would not have the memories of the world that was changed" Dawn explained to Willow.

"Let me see if I've got this. If we go to the past and stop Xander from killing Buffy than return to the present, we will have the true memories of what happened in the past year, but not the memories of the changed world" Willow asked.

"Yeah. That is why I'm staying there and sending you back with my younger self" Dawn informed her. "I will be able to see that Xander gets help and that Buffy and Spike are safe. A year from now I'll wakeup and not remember what happened over the past year. Willow stop shaking your head. I'll only sacrifice one year of my memories. That is a small price to pay to get my sister back. Besides, I'll keep a detailed diary" she added trying to convince her friend that everything would work out fine.

"Do you really think you would be the best one for the job? Xander is my best friend, so I think that I should be the one to stay. After all, you just said a year of memories is a small price to pay to get back someone you love. Dawn, I have a better chance of getting Xander to listen. The way I see it, we get there and stop the wedding and the shooting. You go back to the present and take my younger self with you. No one ever knows what almost happened but us" Willow replied giving Dawn her best resolve face.

"You know Willow that resolve face of yours is not the least bit scary. Nevertheless, I will take you up on your offer. You do realize that when the past catches up with the present your memories after the day of the wedding will be gone forever" Dawn stated seriously. 

"That might be for the best. Dawn if anyone ever found out about this power you would be in great danger. I mean anyone. When I lose my memories I want you to promise me you'll never tell me what happened. Never tell anyone. The temptation to use it, to use you would be too great" she told Dawn as she grabbed her by the shoulders and stared into her blue eyes. "I'm not sure I could trust myself with this knowledge and I love you. Think what someone else could do. Promise me Dawn. That is the only way I will help you."

Dawn stared into Willow's compassionate eyes and saw the truth of her words. "I promise." With that promise Dawn realized that she would never share the knowledge of her gift with anyone again. This realization weighted heavy on her soul, but Willow was right it was too dangerous. 

"Dawnie, I'm in. What is your plan" Willow asked. 

TBC


	4. chapter 4

Chapter 4

Dawn had worked everything out or at least she hoped she had. They had less than two hours to make this work. 

Dawn and Willow pulled up outside the Summers's old home. A for sale sign was on the front yard. "I'm sure glad they haven't sold this place yet. It being empty is going to make this a lot easier" Dawn said. 

"I don't think that Sunnydale is really much of a sellers market" was Willow's reply.

"Willow we need to take all the boxes from the trunk into the house. I want to get everything set up and get the portal open with at least one hour to stop things at that end" Dawn said.

"I don't know why we are waiting so long? Don't you think we are cutting it a little bit close?" Willow asked.

"I think we have the best shot of replacing our doubles if we go about an hour before the wedding starts. Only Buffy, Willow, and Dawn were in the house at that time" Dawn replied.

Willow and Dawn carried the boxes into the house. Dawn still had a key to the house, so they had no problem getting in. She started to unpack the things that she had spent months gathering. After pulling two pale pink bridesmaid dresses from one of the boxes, she handed one of them to Willow. "I got us new dresses but we will have to snag the shoes off our doubles." Next she handed Willow a tranquilizer gun. "Each one has 6 shots plus we each get a spare round of 6 if we need to reload. One of these will bring a person down in about 4 seconds. It takes about 15 seconds to knock out a vampire. They should stay out about an hour. Willow you may also need these" Dawn said as she handed Willow a set of very thin lightweight chains. 

"They don't look like they would hold anyone Dawn" Willow told Dawn as she examined the chains.

"Don't worry, I had them made special. I needed something lightweight but strong, so they are magically reinforced. There are only two ways to get them open. One is with the key the other is with a magic incantation" with that she handed Willow a slip of paper with the incantation on it along with the key. "I also figure Xander is going to need some good counseling. I found a Doctor in LA by the name of Jacobson. He specializes in unusual cases."

"Dawn what do you mean by unusual?" Willow asked.

"Well, Dr. Jacobson takes cases where there may be some supernatural things going on in the person's life. Plus, if it is called for he will use some healing magic. Don't worry he doesn't use any dark magic. Believe me I had the guy checked out" Dawn told her.

Willow didn't know what to say everything was happening so fast. She was at a total loss for words. Just seeing the bridesmaid dress was enough to make her heart hurt. She wasn't sure she was going to be able to pull this off. What if they made it worse? 

"Willow, are you still with me? You look like you are zoning." Dawn said.

Willow looked up to meet Dawn eyes. Dawn looked like she could take on the world and this just added to Willow's anxiety. Dawn was depending on her to carry this off and what if she failed. "I feel like I might let you down and if I do than Buffy and Xander are really gone" Willow said. 

"I have played this out in my head a hundred times. We can do this Willow. We will do this. I can not believe that I was given this ability to move through time unless I was meant to save my sister, but I can't do it alone. I need you to help me save Xander and Buffy" Dawn begged her.  

"Dawn you know I would do anything to save them. Of course I am still with you. Though I do have one question, where did you get all this? Are you dabbling in magic?" a curious Willow asked. 

"You don't have to worry Willow. I was more than careful. I used many different sources to get information and supplies. I couldn't take the chance of anyone figuring out what I was doing. For the most part they just think I'm into some interesting bondage sex mixed with harmless magic" Dawn told her.

"Oh, and tranquilizer guns fit into that how?" Willow asked.

"Willow, are you trying to figure out how I convinced someone that they were harmless sex toys?" Dawn laughed. "I got them from Riley. Well not Riley personally, but one of his men. He gave Buffy that contact number in case of an emergency. In my mind this was an emergency. I told Riley that a few vamps and demons had paid me visits after Buffy's death. They were looking for a little pay back against the slayer in the form of terrorizing her sister. Of course Riley didn't come to help me, but he sent one of his men. I had my own little soldier bodyguard for a month" Dawn told her with a smile as she stripped out of her jeans and shirt and put on her bridesmaid dress.   

"I take it he was a cutie?" Willow asked.

"Lieutenant Miller was most definitely a hottie, but I never had time to explore that avenue. I only needed him to unknowingly train me for this operation and get me the weapons I needed to pull off this rescue mission" Dawn replied as she was pulling her hair into a bun. "Willow enough chit-chat you better get into your dress. Do you remember everything else we talked about last night?" Dawn questioned.

"I think so. We are going to materialize in Dawn's bedroom. I head to Willow's room and tranquiller her. Snatch her shoes and than put her napping body in the closet. Then I call Dawn out of the bathroom to help me with something and we tranquilize her and put her in the closet. I go find Xander and get the gun off of him. Can you explain how that works again Dawn?" she asked her. 

"Simple, while I keep Buffy occupied upstairs you get Xander into the house. You want a few minutes alone with him before the wedding. Once you have him in the house you give him a big hug. All you need to do is get the sleepwalker patch on his neck. After it is on, you have two minutes to get the gun before he wakes up. Try to be in the same position you were before he went to sleep" Dawn explained.

"Why don't we just go in and tranquilize everyone?" Willow asked as she finished putting on her dress.

"Willow you don't know how much I wish I could do that, but we can't let anyone know that we are from the future. I don't even want to think about how someone could use it, could use me" Dawn stated with true concern in her eyes. "I want to save Buffy and Xander more than anything in the world, but if there is a chance of someone finding out about this I would call the whole thing off" she stated with great finality. 

"I understand. I guess it is about that time. Good luck to us" Willow muttered with just a hint of concern in her voice.

"I'm sorry I couldn't refine this whole travel thing sooner. If I had than I could have told Buffy where Spike really was and none of this would have happened" Dawn said sadly. 

Willow grabbed Dawn arm and pulled her around to look at her. "None of this is your fault, but we are the ones that are going to fix it. I just want you to know how proud I am of you. This plan of yours has taken some work and I think it is as good a plan as anyone could have come up with. So let's get that portal open and change the ending." 

TBC

Please send feedback so I know where people want the story to go from here. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Talking a deep breath Willow followed Dawn into the portal. She was barely through the opening when she realized that something had gone terribly wrong. The first thing to meet her eyes was future Dawn shooting past Dawn with the tranquilizer gun just as she was letting out one of her patent ear-drum breaking screams. Next, past Willow stormed into the room only to meet the same fate as past Dawn. 

If this wasn't enough to scare the stuffing out of future Willow, Buffy called from the hall "Willow, Dawn is everything all right?" 

Before Willow had time to form a thought future Dawn calmly stepped over the unconscious Willow and exited the bedroom. "Sorry Buffy, I stubbed my toe. You know how clumsy I can be" Dawn said as she jumped up and down holding her foot aping an injury.        

As Dawn glanced at her sister she could not stop tears from forming. No matter how many times she had played this scenario in her head she was still not prepared for the emotions that erupted through her.  

"Dawn, are you sure you are okay? You look like you are about to cry" Buffy asked as she moved to touch her sister's face. 

"No, I'm fine, just the pre-your sister's wedding jitters" Dawn laughed. God, all she wanted to do was stay right here for at least a century. However, she knew she was being silly with such wishes and wasting valuable time. 

The next words out of Buffy's mouth almost broke Dawn's heart. "Look at you, all grown up. Next thing you know I will be seeing you in your wedding dress" Buffy said with a sister's love in her voice. 

"Don't be marrying me off too soon. This grown-up thing is a sham. It's called make-up. You put it on and it makes you look old, like you" she replied with just a hint of sadness in her voice. 

"Hey, I am not old" Buffy protested.

As much as Dawn wanted to stay here with Buffy she didn't have the time. Right now time was the enemy and Dawn needed to fight for every second. "Buffy I need to help Willow with something, but I want to have a talk with you before the wedding starts. We need to have one of those last minute sister to sister talks before one of us is an old married lady" Dawn said giving Buffy her best please for me looks. 

"The wedding starts in fifteen minutes Dawn" was Buffy's reply.

"But you're the bride and they can't start without you" Dawn countered.

"The wedding is starting on time" Buffy called as she headed for her room to finish some last minute touches.

Entering the bedroom Dawn was relieved to find that Willow had not wasted the last few minutes. Both past Dawn and past Willow were bound and gagged. "Dawn help me get them into the closet" Willow frantically asked.

"I'll do it. You need to find Xander. Something went wrong with my timing. We only have fifteen minutes until the wedding starts. Whatever happens you must get that gun away from him" Dawn pleaded and for the first time Willow could see doubt in her face. 

As Dawn pulled her double into the closet she said "I'll try to stall Buffy. Willow, get a move on it." 

With her heart pounding like a jack-hammer Willow went to find her oldest friend. 

TBC


	6. chapter 6

Chapter 6

As hard as everything had been for Willow the hardest was yet to come. Xander was standing in the sunshine laughing with Wes and Gunn. Why did he have to look so happy? No matter how things went down Xander was in for a world of hurt. She was so intent on watching Xander she didn't see Angel hiding in the shadows. "Willow you look lovely" Angel said startling Willow and making her jump. 

"Angel I didn't see you. Well that could be because you are skulking in the shadows" Willow replied still visibly shaken.  

"Outdoor weddings in direct sunlight are not exactly conducive to a vampire's health" he replied trying to be humorous but failing miserably. 

"Angel thanks for coming. I know this must be hard for you and I really want to speak with you, but I need Xander for a few minutes" Willow said trying to leave him without being rude.  

"By all means, we have plenty of time after" he replied dejectedly. 

Making her way to Xander she unceremoniously grabbed his sleeve and started pulling him toward the house. "Sorry guys, but I need a few words with my best friend before the wedding. I'm sure you don't mind if I steal him." She needed to do this now before she lost her nerve. 

"Where is the fire?" Xander asked as Willow got him into the dining room. "You do know that Buffy's orders were no one goes in the house but her, you, and Dawn until after the ceremony" Xander continued. Instead of an answer he got a big hug. 

As Willow removed her arms from around Xander she snapped her fingers in front of his face. Oh my goodness it worked he is just standing there as if he is sleeping. Willow began to frantically search him. First she checked his coat and his pants pockets. Next she checked under his shirt but there was nothing. Examining her watch she had used 1 minute 15 seconds. She wanted to scream, where was that damn gun? As she worked her way down his body she finally located it in a leg holster just above his ankle. When had Xander started carrying a gun and where had he gotten it she thought as she pulled the gun out with only seconds to spare. After tossing it into a nearby cupboard she flung herself back into his arms. 

"Like I said before, where is the fire or were you just trying to get me alone so you could have your wicked way with me" he teased her. 

This was her Xander the carefree funny guy she had loved since they were kids and it was tearing her up inside to think that in a few minutes he would be gone one way or another. She would have to be strong for both of them. After all she knew about loss and what demons it could produce. She had almost destroyed the world when Tara had died. It had been his love that had stopped her. 

Composing herself she said "I want you to know Xander that you will always be my dearest friend and no matter what, I love you. I need to ask you something and I want you to be honest with me."

"You sound like we are going to a funeral not a wedding" he replied. His words made Willow start to shake.  "Will what is wrong and don't you dare tell me nothing?" 

"Xander what will you do if it all goes away? What happens if he returns for her?" Willow asked with true concern in her voice.

"You mean Spike. He is not coming back and even if he did she would stake him and if she didn't I would. Buffy choose me to spend the rest of her life with and she loves me" Xander said with as much confidence as he could muster.

"But will she still love you if she finds out what you did?" Willow said.

"What is that suppose to mean? What I did, I didn't do anything but show her what a real scumbag Spike is" was Xander's answer. He turned from Willow and started to head back outside.

"Xander I know about the letter" Willow said, but Xander continued on his way never even acknowledging her. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dawn opened Buffy's door a crack and peered in. The reflection from the mirror caught Dawn's attention. It was not the happy face of a bride to be, but that of someone suffering great loss. This surprised Dawn. She had not thought that Buffy was overjoyed but at least she thought Buffy had been somewhat happy and content, but this was not the face of someone happy or content. She must have made a sound because Buffy turned and called her name. Dawn entered the room and was shocked to see that Buffy now had the face of someone overjoyed with happiness, but it was too late Dawn had already seen the pain that Buffy was trying to hide.

"You wanted to have that sister to sister talk. I guess I can spare a few minutes for it" Buffy said smiling at her.

Dawn had planned out all the things she could say to her sister, after all she had spent months doing nothing else, but when the time came all she said was "Don't marry him."

A soft laughter was Buffy's only reply as she got up from the dressing table and started for the door.

"Buffy! I am serious. You don't love him, so why are you marrying him?" Dawn demanded.

"I do so love him. He is the only one that has ever stayed by my side. The only one that I can trust" Buffy countered.

"Are you so sure, because I see a lot of other people around here that love you too. And what happens when Spike comes back for you and you are married to Xander?" Dawn retorted. 

"Now I know you are crazy. Spike is not coming back. He hates me and made sure I knew it before he left, so just keep him out of this" she yelled. 

"Oh I forgot Buffy is always right. Well sister, what if I told you Spike didn't write that letter" Dawn shrieked. 

Now Buffy was visibly mad and her face was turning bright red. "You don't even know what was in that letter, because I never told anyone" Buffy said trying her best to keep her temper in check.

"I know that Spike loves you and is coming back for you" Dawn said steadfastly.

Buffy moved toward Dawn and grabbed her by the shoulders. "I wanted to spare you this because I know that you had feelings for him, but if you are going to keep this up I have no choice but to tell you. It was all a game for him. We had been secretly seeing each other for months, but I would not make a commitment. It was tearing me up inside to want to be with him but know that it was wrong to care about him. The night I almost turned myself over to the police, Spike and I had a big fight. Later I talked to Tara and she convinced me hiding my relationship with Spike was hurting both of us. So during my birthday party I announced that Spike and I were a couple and later that night I told Spike I loved him. That was what he was waiting for. Less than a week later he was gone and all I got was a note saying that it had been a fun game and that there was more than one way to kill a slayer." 

By the time she was done, tears were streaming down her face and Dawn was holding her. "Don't cry Buffy. I know Spike didn't write that letter" Dawn pleaded.

"It doesn't matter any more I am marrying Xander" Buffy cried.

"Buffy it is not too late. You can tell him you are not ready yet. Please Buffy don't do this" Dawn beseeched. 

Buffy shook her head and Dawn sighed with relieve the wedding was off. Now came the hard part telling Xander. "I will be right here with you" Dawn told her.

"Dawn I think I need to tell him myself. I guess I better go get him" Buffy sighed and grabbed her sister hand for support.

TBC


	7. chapter 7

Chapter 7

Buffy knew that it would be hard to tell Xander that she wasn't ready, but she knew he would understand. They were both on the rebound, him from Anya and her from Spike. "Dawn could you please have Xander come in here" Buffy asked her with a shaky voice.

In her mind she tried to come up with just the right words and that was what she was doing when Xander found her. "Buffy you do know it is bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding" he said with a hint of laughter in his voice.

See suddenly went pale and he knew something was wrong. "Hey I was just kidding Buff" Xander quickly replied.

"It's not that, it's I can't do this. I can't marry you, at least not now. It is too soon. Please, don't hate me" she begged.

It took Xander a moment to respond. "I could never hate you Buffy. But I thought this is what you wanted and I only wanted to make you happy. After all the pain you went through this past year I thought I made it better" he responded. 

"You did make it better, but I don't think I am ready to be happy" she said sorrowfully pleading with her eyes for him to understand.

Xander's response was to nod and state "Time to go tell the guests that there will be no wedding at least not today." Taking her arm they went out to break the news to their friends. 

"Xander thank you" Buffy said quietly as they entered the backyard together. 

As Xander was about to tell them that the wedding was off a motorcycle flew into the back yard narrowly missing the table with the cake on it.  A black clad figure tore off the bike throwing it to the ground and lunched himself at Xander. The uproar was instantaneous. Dawn was screaming for Spike to stop, the wedding had been called off. Gunn and Wes were trying to pull the two men apart without much success. Cordelia and Fred were trying to stay out of the way. Giles's calls for the men to stop went unnoticed, while Angel was seething but could not move from the shadows where he was virtually a prisoner. This was one of those moments when Willow cursed herself for the loss of her powers. If she had them she could put a stop to this in seconds. Her mind racing she realized she could still put a stop to this. Pulling the tranquiller gun from her small bag she aimed at the two men. She could shot them both and than they could work everything out later after she chained them both up. 

During the fight Xander had managed to pick up the cake knife from the table to protect himself from the bleached menace. By this time Buffy had moved in to also try to break up the fight. Willow took aim and the first dart missed Xander, but the second one hit Spike in the arm. Just as Xander was about to launch himself at Spike, Spike fell to the ground dazed. As Xander tripped over Spike's downed body he slammed into Buffy knocking her to the ground with him on top of her. Xander jumped up off of Buffy and was ready to finish his fight with Spike when screams rang out that made him freeze. It was at that moment he realized that there was blood on his hands. There was a moment of complete terror, worse than any nightmare when he looked down to see Buffy on the ground her blood seeping through her white dress as she labored to breath.   

Xander fell to his knees and began to weep. Gunn, Wes, and Fred moved to help Buffy. Gunn ripped off his shirt and gave it to Fred and directed her to put pressure on the wound in hopes of stopping the bleeding. Wes pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911. It was Willow's worst nightmare all over again. She watched on in horror as Buffy continued to bleed, Xander wept in agony, the others cried and screamed, and Wes throw his cell phone in anger. Was she trapped in some nightmare that she could not wake up from? 

It was than that Willow realized Wes was saying they needed to take her to the hospital, because there were no ambulances available because of several other major accidents. 

Dawn knew that Buffy would not survive the trip to the hospital. There was only one thing to do, she needed to go back to the future and find out why this was really happening, but first she needed to make sure Buffy stayed alive or at least undead until she could find out the truth. Rushing to Angel she grabbed his arm and tried to get his attention. He pushed her away like she was an annoying insect. To get his attention she took her fist and hit him as hard as she could in jaw. She got an immediate response as he vamped out and grabbed her by the arms. 

"Do I have your attention, because we do not have much time" she yelled at the hulking vampire.

When he didn't reply, but continued to stare at her she continued "Buffy won't make it to the hospital. I don't have time to explain how I know this, but believe me she won't. You need to vamp her and you need to do it now. You are the only one here that can save her."

Still vamped out and looking every bit like the menacing vampire he was Angel shook the girl and roared at her, "Are you insane. That is the last thing that Buffy would want. It is the last thing I would ever do."

"For God's sake Angel, think? If she dies she is gone, but if you vamp her she can be brought back. Look at Spike. He found away to be human again and we can do that for Buffy, but first we need to keep her with us" Dawn demanded as she stared down the vampire.

It appeared as if a light went off in Angel's head and he called for Wes and Gunn to put Buffy in his car. He did not answer Dawn's pleas as he grabbed a blanket and made his way to his car. The minute they had Buffy in the car Angel roared off down the street not even giving anyone else time to get into the car. 

"What is he doing?" a shocked Fred asked the others as she watched the car disappear down the street.

Dawn sighed with relief. He was going to turn her, so there was still a chance. Everyone started to pile into cars so they could get to the hospital. Dawn took this moment to pull Willow away from the group. "Willow don't go to the hospital I need you here."

"Your plan went completely wrong. We are in the same boat we were when we started this. I am going to the hospital to be with Buffy" was Willow reply as she pulled away from Dawn.

"Willow something is wrong you must be able to see that" she continued to move around Willow to keep her from getting into the car with Cordelia, Fred, and Wes. "Willow stop, Xander is not dead. There is still a chance to save him."

Those words stopped Willow and she told Wes to wait a minute she needed to talk to Dawn. "You have one minute to convince me you can fix any of this mess" Willow stated coldly.

Dawn knew she needed Willow's help, so it came down to convincing Willow how important this was. "Willow that is the question of the day, how could we change so many things and still have the same outcome, unless no matter what we did the outcome was going to be Xander killing Buffy. Willow I have to go back to the future and find out what the heck is going on. I have some contacts that I can try, but I need you here to protect Xander. Willow if you have to keep him drugged and chained in the basement you do it, just keep him alive" she begged her friend. 

"And what about Buffy?" Willow questioned.

Shaking her head and not quite meeting Willow's eyes she told her "Angel is turning her as we speak, so you will not find either of them at the hospital. Don't look so surprised, it is what he did before." 


	8. chapter 8

Chapter 8 

Less than ten minutes from Buffy's house Angel swerved the car into an old abandoned garage. Killing the engine he sat motionless contemplating what he was about to do. If he did this she would hate him forever, but if he didn't she would be gone forever. In the back of his mind he had always assumed that someday they would find a way to get back together. The relationships with Riley, Xander, and even Spike were only ways for Buffy to ward off the loneliness until Angel could truly be with her in every way. Those were the things he told himself when he thought of her with someone else.

After getting out of the car Angel opened the back door. The sight of Buffy's pale unconscious body brought him more anguish than the 100 years he spent in a hell dimension. Though one thing was for sure, she would not have made it to the hospital alive. After centuries of watching men, women, and children die you can sense when the time is near. There is a moment just before death that is the sweetest for turning. In a past life Angelus considered this an art form. However, that was before the soul. It was at this moment he realized he was already in game face. The demon in him was hungry for her blood, which has a scent like no other. He moved over her to finish what he came here for, knowing that she may damn him forever.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dawn's words hit Willow hard. She motioned for Wes to take off without her adding that she would ride with Giles as soon as he was done checking on Spike and Xander. Once the LA gang headed out an infuriated Willow turned to Dawn and yelled "Okay Dawn, spill. I know you didn't tell me everything." 

"I told you everything I know. There was just a feeling I had that something wasn't quite right. Willow I need to go back now. There were sources I didn't use because they were more dangerous" Dawn said anxiously. 

Grabbing Dawn by the shoulders an exasperated Willow replied "Dawn don't do anything stupid. What am I saying we are both in the middle of doing something completely stupid!"

A sad fretful look crossed Dawn face as she told Willow "You need to keep Xander safe. If that means drugging him and chaining him in the basement, do it! Spike will also need you too. Don't let them hurt each other. Remind Xander that Spike knows how to return a vampire's humanity. Willow I am counting on you. I have to go. The sooner I do the sooner I can come back. I am leaving my brown bag with you. It has some things you will find useful." 

As Dawn moved away from her friend Willow called "Dawn!"

"Just wish me luck" she replied as she entered the house.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Willow found Giles and poor Mr. Dickey, the minister, tending to Xander and Spike in the backyard. Hearing Willow approach Giles asked "Buffy?"

Willow was not ready to tell him the whole truth, so she answered "Not sure yet." Pulling Giles far enough away to keep Mr. Dickey from hearing their conversation she told him "Something is wrong!"

"I'll say something is wrong. Spike is human, the wedding is a shambles, Buffy is hurt, and Mr. Dickey plans on calling the police to report the whole thing" Giles griped. 

Nodding her head toward Spike and Xander she asked "How are they?" Mr. Dickey was in the process of comforting Xander, while an unconscious Spike had been moved onto the lounge chair. Giles didn't seem to hear her and continued to rant "I need to get to Buffy. I assume the others are on their way, but I can't leave these two like this."

"Maybe we should drug them and chain them on opposite sides of the basement" Willow replied.

The outraged look she got from Giles had her add "I think there is a spell on them and they might hurt each other."

"Don't be ridiculous Willow. They hate the sight of each other, so there doesn't have to be a spell involved for them to want blood" Giles muttered. 

Willow was more than a little irritated that Giles had dismissed her idea so flippantly, but her main priority was keeping Xander and Spike safe. At this moment she could do nothing for Buffy that was out of her hands, but she could help Xander and she would do anything to keep her friend safe. "I need to check on Dawn, she is in the house. Give me a few minutes and I will stay with Spike and Xander so you can go to the hospital" Willow told him.

After he gave an affirmative nod she was off. Hopefully, future Dawn was still here, but as luck would have it Willow had no luck. Dawn must have untied her double and left her on the bed, because that was where she found her. The gods were truly punishing her, because Willow just realized she was going to have to break the news of Buffy's death to Dawn. 

TBC


	9. chapter 9

Chapter 9

Before Giles even had a chance to leave a call came from Wes saying that Angel and Buffy never made it to the hospital. They were going to check the area and make some calls but would be back at the house as soon as they could. After hearing this news Giles was more than happy to discuss Willow's idea of chaining up Xander and Spike, but thought they should hold off on the drugs at least for now. He figured it would be a miracle if they could keep any more blood from being shed. 

Willow told Dawn that she passed out after Buffy got hurt and a distraught Dawn had no problem believing her. Mr. Dickey was a bit more of a problem but thanks to future Dawn's little brown bag Willow found a spell that would take care of the problem. Of course Giles had to perform the spell and he was not very happy about it, but he did it. The Spell was not nearly as invasive as the mind spell that Willow had used on Tara and the rest of the gang inadvertently. Basically, Mr. Dickey left thinking that Spike had fainted, that Xander was clumsy and knocked over the cake, and that Buffy was a very fickle girl who ran off with the best man Angel. Giles never even questioned Willow about how she came to have the spell and the ingredients to perform it. Getting turned over to the Wicca parole board was the least of Willow's troubles at the moment, so she put it out of her head. 

It was not a pretty sight when Spike regained consciousness and found he was chained in the basement. He jumped between yelling to get freed so he could go after Angel and weeping uncontrollably. Xander on the other hand, appeared to be in shock and didn't say a word or even try to get out of his chains. 

They were now waiting for the LA gang to get back and Willow felt completely useless. She hated that feeling more than anything. It was one of the reasons she had gotten so heavily into the magic. It was so hard to wake up every day and then realize that you can never use magic again. Though she understood it, she had misused it and people had died. No, she had killed them. It must be doubly worse for Buffy, she had done nothing wrong, but the council had stripped her slayer powers and there was nothing she could do about it. Abruptly, Willow was brought out of her musings by Spike.

"He has turned her" Spike said suddenly.

"We don't know that for sure" any angry Giles replied.

"I know it for sure" Spike said sullenly.  

"But he will bring her back here" Dawn asked apprehensively. 

"Of course he will Dawn. He knows we are the ones that can help her. Don't worry" Willow told the girl as she put her arm around her for comfort. 

"You keep telling yourself that Red if it makes you feel better" Spike cut in.

"You are not helping at all, so why don't you just be quiet" Giles yelled. 

"I'm not helping! I'll tell you what's not helping, you having me chained in this basement when I should be out there looking for them. You think you understand vampires? You think because he has a soul he is automatically going to do what is best for her? It doesn't work that way watcher. There is a bond between a sire and child that is stronger than you can imagine. Once he turns her it will be like tearing off his own arm to bring her back, especially if he is bringing her back to another man" Spike fumed. 

"Spike, vampires sire humans all the time and half the time they just leave them" Giles retorted.

Spike came back with "Bloody hell watcher, he loves her and he has marked her before, tasted her blood. It makes a world of difference!"  

"If you think for a minute I am a fan of Angel's you are wrong, but I do think he will bring her back here because you know how to restore her humanity" Giles stated flatly.

"That is unless he knows another way to make her human" Gunn said as he entered the basement with Wes, Fred, and Cordelia. 

"Another way, what other way, Spike has not even given us the full details of his amazing return to the living" Giles grunted with a hint of the Ripper coming out.  

"Actually it turns out that Angel may know of two ways. One is the way that W&H brought Darla back, but that one requires sacrifices. The other one we just found out from Lorne. It seems that Angel has been keeping a little secret from us" Wes told a stunned group.

"And was there some reason why we were not given this information?" Giles asked trying to keep his Ripper side in check.

"Getting mad at us is not going to help. We didn't know either. Seems Lorne only knew because of some readings he has done on Angel, but of course he doesn't share a person's readings with anyone else. Cordelia convinced him if he knew anything this was the time to break that rule" Gunn said than he looked toward Wes for some backup.

Wes reluctantly continued "Well, it appears the blood of a certain demon restores a vampire's flesh, makes him human again. Angel found this out by accident when he came in contact with the blood and his humanity was restored."

"Now I am confused, because Angel is still a vampire" Giles said.

"Are you ready for the kicker; he went to the Powers That Be and asked them to make him a vampire again. He had them turn back time, everyone had to relive that one day and he made sure that he wasn't made human" Gunn told them.

"Why would he do that? I thought that was what he wanted. If he was human he could be with Buffy" a bewildered Willow asked.

"Lorne didn't give us all the details. I doubt he knows them all, but there is a good chance that Angel will go looking for one of these demons to restore Buffy" Wes added. 

"How long?" Spike quietly asked.

"How long what?" Wes replied.

"How long has the wanker known?" Spike rephrased it.

Taking a long moment Wes finally replied "Almost three years."

Shaking his head in disgust Spike sarcastically said "So let me get this straight he knew a way to make vampires human again, but decided not to share that information. It's not like that information would be of any interest to the slayer, now would it?"

"It would not be easy to get the demon blood anyway. That particular demon is from another dimension" Wes said trying to defend Angel.

"So he runs off to try to get it on his own without any backup. Watcher, still think he is on his way back here with her?" Spike asked turning to look Giles in the eyes. 

Giles didn't reply but Willow chimed in "I still don't understand this."

"I'm not sure any of us do" Giles replied.

"Oh, I get it. If Angelus were human then he could be with the Buffy and there goes the brooding. Also, he wouldn't have the lot of you feeling sorry for him all the time" Spike said bitterly.

"That is not fair. Angel has helped lots of people. If he were human he would lose his strength then how could he help?" Cordelia argued.

"He does have a way of twisting women around his little finger doesn't he. Well princess, he could probably help the same way the watcher does or the whelp. But Angel couldn't do that, could he. His ego couldn't take it" Spike stated with conviction.  

"Spike you are not helping and if there is any blame to be dished you are at the top of the list" Giles told him.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I didn't write that letter. The whelp must have changed it. I knew I shouldn't have trusted him. I love her more than anything in this world and there is no way I would hurt her like that" Spike vented. 

For the first time in over an hour Xander spoke "You are a liar! I didn't do anything to your letter. I wished to god I would have burned it. One of the worst moments in my life was watching her read that damn thing. I can't believe anyone would think I would do that to her." 

"And you think I would?" Spike countered. 

"I don't think you would Spike" Dawn said as she moved away from the wall and into the middle of the room. "Just like I don't think Xander changed the letter" she added a moment later. "Willow said she thought that magic might be involved and I think she might be right. It is not like we don't have them lining up to knock us down and what better way then to destroy us from within." 

Dawn turned to Willow for reassurance and Willow gave her a smile. That was all Dawn needed to continue. "Okay, let's think about this rationally. I know both Xander and Spike and I think they are both telling me the truth as they know it. That means someone else tampered with the letter. But it goes deeper than that. What are the chances that someone just happened to come along and give Spike this opportunity to be human and he doesn't have the chance to tell Buffy? Spike would you leave Buffy's side for anything?" Dawn asked as she turned to the vampire. 

"I didn't leave her. I was always coming back" he replied.

"But she thought you did and that is what someone wanted" Dawn answered. "Not only that we never could make sense of the COW stripping her slayer power. That was such a bunch of ……."

Spike interrupted "What the hell do you mean stripping her slayer powers?" He looked around at the faces of the people in the room but no one said anything.

Giles finally answered "Not long after you left the COW decided that there should only be one slayer. Something about the power was never meant to be shared. They stripped her of her power and Faith is the one and only slayer now."

"Ahhhhhh! When I get out of here someone is going to pay!" Spike screamed. "She must have gone through hell, oh god why did I leave?" Spike muttered.

"If it helps at all Spike, I don't think it would have mattered. If someone wanted you out of the way they would have found another way" Willow told him trying to make him feel better. 

"Red if someone did this to her they will pay. I promise it" he snapped. 

"Do you really think someone is trying to destroy her? It sounds like they are making her life into a nightmare" Fred told the group.

"Hers along with the rest of us" Giles replied.

"God, and Angelus turning her, do you realize that is her worst nightmare. The thing she fears above everything else. You need to let me go Willow, so I can find her" Spike demanded. 

"Even if you find her that does not solve the problem if someone has cast a spell on her" Cordelia told him.

"We could make a list of everyone that has a grudge against her. It is a start until we find her and have Lorne read her. But she might not be so willing, not if she is a vampire" Fred added. 

"That just means we need to restore her soul" Willow told the group. The brown bag of Dawn's held everything that was needed to do the spell. They just required someone strong enough to execute it. Again Willow silently cursed herself for the loss of her ability to do magic. 

"That is a good start and with the soul she will cooperate. I'm thinking we need to head for LA. My guess is Angel will take her there" Gunn told the group. 

"I think you are right" Wes agreed.

"Then what the hell are we waiting for. Get me the hell out of these chains and let's get going" Spike insisted. Willow undid Xander's chains and she and Giles helped him up. The group headed up the stairs and out of the basement. "Hey, what about me, you can't leave me here? I'm human now" Spike yelled at the fleeing group. Willow turned and made her way back to the ex-vampire. "Thanks Red, I knew you wouldn't leave me" he said quietly. 

"Don't make me regret this" She told him as the chains were removed. 

"You won't. These chains are pretty impressive Red. Wouldn't care to tell me where you got them?" he asked. She only gave him a dirty look and he replied "Didn't think so. Well time to go save Buffy."  

TBC


	10. chapter 10

Chapter 10

After more than a few snide remarks and a short but heated argument it was decided that Giles, Fred, Cordelia, and Dawn would ride together, Gunn, Willow, and Xander would ride together, and Spike and Wes would ride together. Spike had insisted on taking his motorcycle against the wishes of just about everyone. It was obvious that he was in no condition to drive the bike, but the others didn't want to say it. His right eye was bruised and swollen shut, while cuts and bruises covered his hands and face. It was Dawn that came up with the idea to put the motorcycle in the back of the SUV. Giles and Spike both complained about the time it was taking, but Wes reminded them that they needed to make plans on the way to LA and if Spike rode his bike he could not be in on the planning. Giles grunted and muttered that Spike would be of little help in that department anyway. Wes disagreed with the other watcher, but kept his thoughts to himself. The LA gang all had their cell phones and planned on keeping each other informed during the long ride to the city. 

Spike was still being difficult and wanted to drive the car, but after some prodding from Dawn he agreed to let Wes drive while he applied an ice pack to his eye. It was not easy for Spike to concede the point, but the concern in Dawn's eyes helped him relent to her wishes. 

Wes and Spike were barely on the highway before Spike blurted out "Okay watcher you did a nifty song and dance to get me alone. You got something to say, get on with it."

Wes didn't even have the audacity to look ashamed. Instead he countered by saying "Now that you mention it, from a watcher's point of view I'm interested in the details of you transformation."

Spike laughed and said, "Is that all Watcher. You didn't need to get me alone for that. The short of it is I went to see a man or more accurately a demon about some trials. Won the trials and got my reward. End of story."  

Wes groaned "You don't have to be so damn flippant. Anything you know could help Buffy."

Turning to look out the window Spike quietly said, "What do you want to know watcher?"

"Everything I guess, but you could start by telling me who the demon is and how you found him" Wes replied.

An exasperated Spike took a deep breath and continued to stare out the window. Wes silently waited for the man to continue. It was strange for Wes to think of Spike as a man. He wasn't even sure if Spike had a soul, but decided to wait to ask that question. Wes was almost surprised when Spike continued "There was this bloke owed me over an egg deal that went bad. Damn thing was more my fault, but I wasn't going to let him know that. I almost lost Buffy over the whole thing though and I was pissed. I was a stupid git for getting involved in the thing to begin with, but I needed money. I should have checked things out. Someone that has been around as long as I have ought to know better. I guess I wasn't thinking straight. The bloke paid me back with some information. However, the information had a time limit. Seems a powerful demon was going to be making a visit to an African village for a round of trials. Now mind you this was not your run of mill demon he was some higher damn being." A sound from Wes made Spike turn and say "Something wrong there Watcher?"

"No, please continue" Wes told him. 

"I tried to find Buffy but the trials started in two days and I had to get there. I managed to get a flight to Africa and before you ask, I am not going to tell you who gave me the lift, but lets just say it was not someone Buffy would have approved of. I gave a letter to Xander to give her, but I guess I don't need to go into that. Got there just in time for the start of the trials, but the damn wanker wouldn't even see me. You might not know it, but vampires are thought of as bottom feeders in the demon world. You have to be one hell of a ruthless bastard like Angelus to even get a little respect. So I had to do one hell of a song and dance to get an audience with the demon. The bastard thought it was funny that a lowly vampire would even try, but in the end he let me compete. I guess he figured he could have a good laugh at my expense. Well the laugh was on him because I won. I'm not ready to discuss what the trials entailed, at least not yet. My reward was getting a chance to be human again. That's about it watcher" Spike said as he moved around trying to get comfortable in his seat.  

So many things were racing through Wes' head. The biggest one was that whoever set this whole thing up had some major connections. Wes wasn't sure but he thought that Spike's demon might be one of the Powers That Be. Wes decided to keep that idea to himself and instead asked Spike "So the trials took about six months."

"One week" Spike replied.

"If that is the case then why didn't you come back right away?" Wes inquired.

"I guess I left that part out Watcher. The trials were one week and the recovery period was two weeks, at least that was what it was for me. Imagine my surprise when I get home to find out I was gone 6 months and my girl was getting married to someone else" Spike replied trying to keep the anguish out of his voice. 

Up until that moment Wes had not really felt any great emotion for the man one way or another. He was with him only to get information that could be useful in helping Buffy and Angel. After all Wes was Angel's friend and he hoped that in the end Angel would get the girl. Not knowing what to say to Spike's latest confession, Wes opted to say nothing. However, Spike had other ideas and continued "Have you got people looking for Peaches?"

"Yes, Lorne has taken charge of that. He has quite a few contacts and he is calling in some favors. If he took her back to LA we will find them" Wes said with confidence.

"Good they need to check out places where they wouldn't be disturbed. But don't waste your time on old warehouses; concentrate on mansions and places that have some class. He will also want to get her some clothes. Try the trendier shops. Lastly, he will need to get her blood and he will make it human. It doesn't matter that he is drinking pig slop himself he will get human for her" Spike told Wes.

"I understand why he wouldn't be willing to return her to you or Xander, but I don't understand why he wouldn't bring her to me or one of his gang. He knows we would help him with anything" Wes asked with more than a touch of confusion in his voice. 

Damn Spike thought. Was he going to have to spell everything out for this git? No wonder he was such a total waste when it came to dealing with slayers. With a shake of his head Spike finally answered "It is not because of him that he isn't bringing her to you it is because of her. She would not want anyone to see her like that and he knows it. She would not want him to see her like that either, but Peaches had to run off with her. I should ring his neck for that alone," Spike yelled.

"But someone needed to help her, so that means someone was going to see her" Wes responded. 

"It needed to be me and Angelus knows that" was Spike's reply.

"I think you lost me about two miles back, so if you could please rephrase that it would be appreciated" Wes asked. Maybe Spike had hit his head a little harder than Wes thought because he was not making any sense. 

The guy really didn't get it, Spike thought. Oh Watcher listen and learn "It's complicated, Buffy can go out night after night and fight evil, however she can't deal with people she loves not thinking the best of her. That is why she had so much trouble letting her friends know about us. She knew they wouldn't approve and their approval is everything to her. That is why she doesn't want them to see into the recesses of her soul. The nature of a Slayer isn't all white light and noble deeds. There is also darkness and hunger buried under that facade of righteousness. If anyone should understand that it should be you. From what I hear you had a slayer go bad on your watch" Spike said turning to Wes and giving him a smug grin. 

Spike's words had an immediate and negative reaction on the watcher. He suddenly slammed on the brakes and swerved the car off the road. Before it even came to a stop he had Spike by the shirt. "Give me one reason why I should listen to a word you say?" Wes demanded the anger seeping from every pore of his body. 

"Seems like I hit a nerve" Spike laughed. Wes's response was to shove Spike hard against the passenger's door. 

"Poor Watcher you got a taste of a slayer's darkness and it wasn't pretty was it? Well here's a news flash every slayer has that same darkness" Spike insisted his eyes never leaving the watcher's. "Now you know one of the COW's biggest secrets. I guess they didn't want you thinking about it too much or putting two and two together and getting five, so they tossed you out on your sorry ass." Wes said nothing but didn't turn away from Spike gaze. Spike continued to talk "Tell me Watcher will you ever be able to look at Faith, that was her name right, and not be affected by that darkness?" 

Instead of answering Wes diverted his eyes, because he knew if he met Spike's they would convey the truth. The whole disaster with Faith was a festering wound on his soul and he had long given up hope of it ever healing.                                           

This time when Spike spoke his words were softer almost comforting "I'm going to take that as a yes. Now imagine how Buffy would feel if you looked at her that way." 

Wes blasted back "Buffy is nothing like Faith. I don't know how you could even make a comparison!" with that Wes maneuvered the car back into traffic.

Poor Buffy, no wonder she was drawn to me, Spike reflected. What a bunch of tossers, the whole lot of them. He contemplated just letting it rest. The damn watcher was not prepared to listen, too many years of Council indoctrination. There was no way in hell the others were going to let Spike get anywhere near Buffy. Spike required someone on his side and this watcher was his best bet, so whether Wes wanted to listen or not he was going to hear what Spike had to say. Though, before Spike had a chance to go on Wes got a call from Gunn. They shared information which was not a surprise, however Wes passing on what Spike had told him about Angel's possible first moves were. Perhaps the watcher could be enlisted to help after all. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Willow sat silently with a reassuring arm around Xander and listened to Gunn converse with first Wes, than Giles, and finally Lorne. The tenseness of Xander's body under her comforting touch let her know he was far from fine, but he was holding up better than she had expected. Like the rest of them he was hopeful of getting Buffy back. I guess when someone has died twice and been brought back twice, what is one more time. 

Willow was brought out of her reverie by Gunn telling her that Lorne was working on getting someone with enough magical skills to do the soul restoring spell. Also, they had at least twenty contacts looking for Angel and Buffy so it was only a matter of time. How Willow wished she could still do her magic. She could put a protection spell on the whole gang, plus locate Buffy and Angel with a locating spell. But alas those days were gone and her beating herself up over it was not going to save her friend. 

"Lorne is also working on a protection spell. He says it will only work when we are in the hotel, but hell that is better than nothing" he said to both of his companions. "Though it might be a little tense, Angel, Spike and you all in the same hotel with Buffy for an extended amount of time" Gunn told Xander uneasily. 

"I have no intention of staying under the same roof as Angel much less Spike. Your friend will just have to get some mojo going and find a place safe for Buffy and me" Xander commanded.

Gunn and Willow decided to let it rest for now there was no use in getting Xander upset over something that might or might not be an issue when they got to LA. First and foremost they needed to get Buffy back, restore her soul and than see about her cheating the grim reaper for the third time. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As far as Wes was concerned everything was settled, so he was surprised when Spike started talking about Buffy again. "Buffy never let the lot of you really see who she was. Everyone was so busy putting her on a pedestal they never stopped to look at the real Buffy and after awhile she was not willing to let anyone see. Now with me she didn't give a shit. We weren't friends, so there were no worries about disappointing me" Spike told Wes quietly. 

"If you're trying to say you were able to get her to have sex with you can stop right now" Wes retorted.

Spike laughed and shook his head before continuing, "This is not about sex. It is about me loving and accepting both the slayer and the girl and her knowing that no matter what she does it will not affect the love I have for her. After all, I have seen her at her best and at her worst and I am still here, or at least she will know that I am when we find her."

If nothing else Wes was sure that the man sitting beside him loved the slayer as much as Angel loved her if not more. But the real question was going to be who the slayer loved. 

TBC 


End file.
